Determined effort but calamitous mix ups prove costly.

2-13 to 3-11 7th September 2017 Vs. Kildorrery

Killavullen would have been gutted to be beaten by Kildorrery in the reaffixed Minor Hurling championship, played in Fermoy last evening (7th Sep) by a single point, but in reality , cannot quibble with the result.

Kildorrery lost their talismanic gifted player James Keating before the game to a hamstring injury but others stepped up for them on the night, and too often, they were first to the breaking ball, a good indicator of which team showed the greater desire.

We got a great start with a goal from Padraig Looney in the 2nd minute and a point from Jack O Connor before Kildorrery opened their account. Kildorrery then scored the next three points, from 3 different players before Jack got us back in front again with a pointed free, after good work from Noah Butler to earn the free in the 1st instance, in the 13th minute. Kildorrery struck for a goal then, in the 15th minute, a ball that Killavullen will feel that they should have cleared, but a stray hand pass did not find its man.

Eddie Cotter scored a fine point for us in the 17th minute to counter that score before Kildorrery got the next point from a converted 65 metre shot. Next Liam Fox caught a great ball at the edge of the square, and fed the inrushing Padraig Looney who finished well to the net to put us up again, by a solitary point 2-03 to 1-06. Kildorrery restored parity with a pointed free before Jack O Connor gave us a lead again, with a converted free. We were playing against the wind, and a point to the fore, but disaster struck, just before half time, when a long free eluded everybody and found its way to our net without an intervention. 2-06 to 2-04 at the interval.

Kildorrery scored the initial score of the second period in the 3rd minute only for Jack to reply with another free. Kildorrery then scored the next two points, but we answered that emphatically, with 3 points of our own, from James Fitzpatrick, and two further frees from Jack O Connor.

12th minute of the second period, and the score was 20-09 to 2-08. We were hurling well at this stage, with our rejigged half back line of Noah Butler, Eoghan Buckley and Fionn Magner asserting a big influence. Behind them, Brian Cotter belied his young age with an accomplished display. Our midfield of Eddie Cotter and Jack O Connor was industrious.

Kildorrery scored another free before we had a calamitous mix up between our goalie and full back and we ended up putting the ball into our own net to gift Kildorrery a fortuitous goal. 3-10 now to 2-08 but there was only 14 minutes gone in the half. Michael Fresh set about eating into that lead with a point in the 15th minute and then Eoghan Buckley scored a monster free to add more impetus to our resurgence. The game was halted several times for small inconsequential injuries that thwarted our momentum before we had the next point from the hard working Eddie Cotter in the 55th minute but not everyone was showing his application and that was disappointing when the game was there to be grabbed. Jack O Connor brought it back to a single point game in the 58th minute, but Kildorrery scored a break away point to bring their tally to 3-11. We pressed gallantly but failed to break down their resolute rear guard, and tellingly we took the wrong shot options under pressure, and put 5 shots wide. We got out final score from distance in the 62nd minute from Jack O Connor to amass 2-13 over the hour and 8 minutes of injury time, but it is just short.

On the night, following the flight of the ball from the stand was very difficult, in the Autumnal evening light, but it was the same for both teams. Overall a decent display but we played as individuals at times, and not a group collective.